G. Bianco, 2019
 Time for another Book Haul! If you want to see more pictures, then check out my Instagram @the.overflowing.bookshelf and Twitter @TheOVFBookshelf!
I stopped by the English Department at my college and they have a shelf of free books that’s already filled with some goodies! But then I was told that they actually had a whole bunch of books (aside from the shelf) to be given away that were stocked away in an empty office. There had to be dozens upon dozens of books!!! Needless to say I was in heaven!! I restricted myself to only grabbing the following: Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte~ A man renting a manor in a lonely moor in England hears the story of the mysterious Heathcliff, and the dark history behind his manor, Wuthering Heights Reason: I’ve read this book before but I thought this edition was pretty 😂 Plus there are some cool scholarly articles in there as well! Frankenstein by Mary Shelley~ A determined young scientist creates a monster from the remains of dead humans. The consequences of playing God haunt Dr. Frankenstein for the rest of his life. Reason: Pretty much the same as Wuthering Heights, except that I’ve read this book twice previously... 😬 Mythology and the Renaissance Tradition in English Poetry by Douglas Bush~ This scholarly text analyzes these two major themes in English poetry by favorites like Shakespeare, Milton, and Spenser. Reason: I know I’m a nerd 😂 but it just seemed really interesting!! Plus I can’t say no to some Shakespeare... Butley by Simon Gray~ Set in a university office, this dark-comedy play shows the self-destruction of a professor in just the span of a couple of hours. Reason: I couldn’t read the spine on the shelf, quickly googled it, and figured “What the hell!” 😂 I’m also trying to read more plays and short stories The Complete Poems of Stephen Crane by Joseph Katz (editor)~ A compilation of poems by a writer best known for his novel The Red Badge of Courage Reason: I’ve read Crane’s Maggie: A Girl of the Streets but never any of his poetry so I thought it’d be a nice change of pace! Equus by Peter Shaffer~ A psychiatrist attempts to help and treat a 17 year old kid who has a weird obsession with horses. Reason: I think this is the play that Daniel Radcliffe was in a couple of year ago on West End? I heard it was kinda a weird show but hey it was revived for a reason wasn’t it? I don’t even know if some of these editions are still in publication since they are all older, funkier cover designs! But they were way too cool to pass up! Let me know which of these interested you the most! If not, which book should I add to my next book haul?
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 Hi everyone! It's Elisa! I posted my most recent book haul on my Instagram a couple of days ago, but I thought it might be cool to post it on here a well! Let me know in the comments below if you'd like me to post more non-review blog posts, like this! Also, don't forget to follow me on Instagram @the.overflowing.bookshelf ! Okay without further ado: my book haul! I bought all of these from Barnes and Nobles and just got them the other day! Below is a brief synopsis of each book and the reason why I bought it: Two Can Keep a Secret by Karen McManus~ Ellery’s aunt went missing when she was seventeen and now another girl has gone missing. She knows her grandma and mom are hiding secrets, but she soon realizes that everyone in their small town is hiding something. Reason: I loved McManus’s debut novel (see my review here: https://www.theoverflowingbookshelf.com/home/the-breakfast-club-with-a-murderous-twist) and was super excited to read another thriller/mystery from her! Five Feet Apart by Rachael Lippincott~ Two cystic fibrosis patients fall in love but how can they be together if they have to be six feet apart from one another at all times? Reason: I saw the movie trailer and it looked really good plus it’s giving me some TFIOS vibes... The Cruel Prince by Holly Black~ A human girl living in a Faerie kingdom must form a dangerous alliance in order to protect her sisters and all of the High Court of Faerie while also gaining the respect of the reigning prince Reason: I’ve never read a Holly Black book but I’ve always wanted to and one of my best friends recommended it to me! Carry On by Rainbow Rowell ~ This mashup of a romance, fantasy, ghost story, and mystery follows Simon Snow: a student at a magic school as he’s trying to (and is currently failing at) being “The Chosen One” Reason: I loved Eleanor & Park and keep seeing all the hype over the sequel that’s coming out soon so I thought I’d jump on the bandwagon! Miracle in the Mundane by Tyler Knott Gregson~ A compilation of poems, prompts, and motivation to unleash your creative side from the poet famous for his book, Chasers of the Light. Reason: I loved Chasers of the Light and I really would like to get more into modern poetry! I’m so excited to start reading these books! Let me know which of these interested you the most! If not, which book should I add to my next book haul?   Imagine this: everyday you wake up in the body of someone different. It’s always someone who is the same age as you, but besides that, it could be anyone. Age, gender, race, sexual orientation, family, lifestyle; it all depends on the day. You also never inhabit the same body twice. That’s the case of our nameless narrator, who later refers to themselves as A in David Levithan’s novel, Everyday. A has been living like this for their entire life and has always tried their best not to alter or influence their person’s life too much. That is until he takes over Justin’s body for the day and meets Justin’s girlfriend, Rhiannon. A tries to push the boundaries of their situation as well as the boundaries of love in order to be with Rhiannon. But what is the price of loving someone when things change everyday? I was very intrigued by the description of this book so I figured “What the heck? Let’s try it out!” I have also read a few of Levithan’s other works, which I’ve enjoyed, including Will Grayson, Will Grayson which he co-wrote with John Green. I’ll admit, taking a 3-4 month break while reading this book (due to and excessive amount of school work) probably didn’t help me at all; however, this book didn’t satisfy me with the feel-good ending I was looking for. Don’t get me wrong, it kept me interested and it was overall a good read! ** SPOILER ALERT ** I just was hoping for some big traumatic event to happen that caused A to wake up in their own body and that way they could be with Rhiannon forever but maybe I’m just a hopeless romantic? ** SPOILER OVER ** Aside from the plot, the beliefs that Levithan preaches throughout the novel are carried throughout the novel effectively. The idea of acceptance can be seen through A’s inhabiting teenagers dealing with different issues and lives. We see A live an an obese boy, a drug addict, a transgender kid, and a suicidal girl, among many others. The idea that there are different types of people who are going through different things and that sometimes it can’t be seen on the outside is a valuable thing to teach. There is a “finding your place in the world” theme that gets a little cliche in the novel. A finally begins to realize what it means to have some sort of roots or constants in one’s life and feels like they are missing out on something. It’s a nice reminder to be grateful for what you have in this world, but also such a redundant message in YA novels. That being said, there’s a reason why YA novels are so popular: because they are relatable. Because most of the people reading them are still trying to find their place in the world. So I can’t blame Leviathan too much for adding that theme in there. Overall, I found the ending to be good since it wrapped up most things nicely, but I was just hoping for a little bit more from this novel. I know there have been sequels written so maybe I will give those a try to see if it wraps up the story a little bit more? I would still recommend the book to friends, but it’s a middle-of-the-pack book for me in terms of YA novels.   When five students are thrown into detention together, the assumption would be for them to leave having a greater appreciation for one another: end of story. Right? Unlike any other classic teen fiction book or movie, this detention session results in a death involving foul play. In Karen M. McManus’s debut novel One of Us is Lying, five students walk into detention, but only four walk out alive. Amidst this strange tragedy, the fictional Bayview High community looks at the surviving students as the prime suspects: Bronwyn: the studious, Yale-bound brainiac; Addy, the popular beauty queen; Cooper, the all-star baseball jock; and Nate, the drug-dealing delinquent. What makes things even more interesting is that Simon, the kid who didn't make it out alive, runs the schools popular gossip app and has dirt on all four suspects. Dirt that was going to be published the very next day. So who didn't want their secret getting out? Naturally, the characters who are suspects are brought together by their circumstances and realize that they need each other in order to survive the discrimination and media frenzy that has swarmed their town, while trying to solve the murder-mystery for themselves. Each character must face the guilt that eats away at them over their secrets while dealing with dysfunctional families. The trials these four student must go through show them who their real friends are and that secrets never really remain secrets for long. With high school stereotypes running rampant throughout this story, it would’ve been easy for this story to get trite very quickly; however, McManus succeeds in taking a cliché high school tale and turning it on its head. This story doesn't feel as repetitive as one might assume, even though it follows the same themes as many other teen narratives. McManus gives this high school story an Agatha Christie-style twist and leave the reader itching to find out whodunnit. One can admit that at a certain point, it may be easy to connect the dots, but with secrets being revealed and characters becoming more and more complex, this story definitely keeps the reader hooked. This debut novel suitably-marketed as “Pretty Little Liars meets The Breakfast Club” (EW.com) will change the way teen mystery is perceived. It will leave the reader guessing until the very end, while also satisfying the itch for a good old fashioned high school story.  |
AuthorHi! My name is Elisa and my bookshelf is quite literally overflowing! Join me in my journey of reading as many books as humanly possible! Archives
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